You Lied to Me
by Joie 225
Summary: Just how evil is Emily Gilmore? Something happens to Rory that causes Lorelai to pose that very question...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is set somewhere in Rory's sophomore year at Yale. Everything in the show happened, there's just one minor adjustment, but if I told you what it was it would ruin the story! So you'll have to read on to find out...  
**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to whoever owns Gilmore Girls these days. I own nothing but Chloe.  


* * *

Rory was heading back to her dorm, arms full with books and coffee, when someone bumped into her, making her spill almost half of her precious liquid, and drop one of her books.

"Oh, sorry Chloe. See you tomorrow." The offender said, as Rory bent down to pick up the book. She stood up to correct them, only to realize that they'd already disappeared. She sighed. This was not the first time she had been mistaken for someone else. In fact, she had been mistaken for this Chloe person so many times over the past few months, that she was beginning to wonder who the hell Chloe was. Shrugging it off she took another large gulp of coffee and continued towards her dorm.

A few days later, she was over visiting Steph, when she decided to run out and grab some coffee at the coffee cart outside Steph's dorm. As she waited impatiently in line, she began to wonder how long it was going to take the coffee cart guy to get her order right. She was such a coffee addict that she had a quasi-friendship with many of the coffee-cart guys on campus, who knew her name and coffee of choice by heart. Unfortunately, she didn't visit Steph's dorm, and this particular coffee cart very often, so she hadn't had a chance to train this guy in the ways of Gilmore girls and coffee. So needless to say, she was extremely surprised when she got to the front of the line and the coffee cart guy had the exact coffee she had been planning on ordering ready and waiting for her.

"But...what...how did you know what I wanted?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Uh, you come here every day. Five or six times a day. And you always order the same thing."

"No, I don't think I've ever been here before."

"Of course you have."

"No, I'm realy pretty sure I haven't."

"Seriously Chloe? Just take the coffee."

Ah. Chloe. Of course, she should have known. But wait, Chloe and she drank their coffee the same way? Now Rory was really curious. Her Mom was the only person besides herself she knew who took coffee that way. Or that often, for that matter. She paid the coffee guy, and headed back towards Steph's room, only to find the blonde squealing on the phone, jumping up and down excitedly. She hung up as Rory settled down on the couch.

"Okay girly, hurry up and drink that coffee!" The rambunctious blonde said. "We've only got two hours!"

"To do what," Rory asked, making no efforts to expedite the coffee-drinking process.

"To get ready! We're meeting the boys at the pub!"

"All this excitement for a night at the pub?"

"Yeah?" Steph shrugged. Rory gave her a pointed look. "Okay, well, I may, possibly, also be a tiny bit excited, because Colin was the one that called, and, umm, things have been good between us lately, and well..." she trailed off.

"Got it." Everyone knew Steph and Colin were both secretly in love with the other, but too stubborn to admit it. Rory had only recently managed to get Steph to admit she liked Colin as more than a friend.

"So, what are we wearing?" Rory asked.

Stephanie squealed. "Ooh! I know just the thing!" And she dashed off to her closet. Rory got up and followed, all thoughts of Chloe buried in the back of her mind.

They'd been at the pub for a couple hours, and Rory was contentdly tipsy and enjoying the antics of her far-more-drunk friends. Steph was sitting next to Colin, and the two of them had been stealing glances at each other all evening. Finn was, once again, trying to convince Rosemary to sleep with him. Logan had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and was talking to Robert about something or other, while she jumped into the conversation every once in awhile. And Juliet had gone up to the bar to get another drink. Rory smiled to herself, last year she never would have imagined herself hanging out with this crowd, and much less enjoying herself. But she was, and she loved them all, she'd found them to be great friends.

"Hey, Colin, move over!" Juliet said, having arrived back at the table. Judging by her inability to remain standing, Juliet was clearly the most drunk of them all. Except maybe Finn.

"Come on Colin," she whined. "I wanna sit down! So move over!" She said grumpily, staring at Robert.

He looked up at her, slightly amused. "Well Jules, I'd be happy to let you sit, but I'm not Colin."

Juliet just looked at him. "I'm not Colin," he said again. "I'm Robert. Colin would be the one over there" he pointed, "making googly eyes at Ms. Vanderbilt."

At this Colin's head snapped up. "What?" he asked sharply, having missed Juliet's moment of confusion.

"Juliet here thought I was you," Robert supplied. "I was just correcting her."

Colin scoffed indignantly. "You confused _me_ with that idiot?"

"Hey!" Robert protested.

"Not my fault," Juliet stated. "You look alike."

Both Colin and Robert protested this statement.

"Come on. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Taller than me. You look alike." She giggled, and then, as an afterthought continued. "Especially when I'm drunk."

Everyone else had erupted into fits of laughter, save Colin and Robert. Suddenly Rory was reminded of another case of mistaken identity.

"Ooh, that reminds me!" She said suddenly. "Does anyone know a girl named Chloe?"

"What's she look like?" Robert asked.

Rory shrugged. "No idea. I've never met her."

"Who is she, love?"

"I don't know that either, Finn. But ever since school started this year, people keep mistaking me for her, and calling me Chloe. And today, I found out she's addicted

to coffee just like I am. Drinks it the same way too."

"Weird."

"How on earth did you find that out?"

"The coffee cart guy."

"Oh right. I forgot you were such good friends with all of them."

Rory just shrugged. "So none of you know her?"

"Nope."

"Oh well," she sighed. "We must have really similar hair or something."

"Probably," Steph agreed.

"So! Who needs more alcohol, mates?" Finn asked, standing up. He took everyone's order and headed off towards the bar, but Rory was still caught up in thoughts of the mysterious Chloe.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**I meant to get this up sooner, but midterms and computer problems got in the way. The next chapter is actually the first one I wrote, so hopefully it will be up soon. Thanks so much for all of the reviews, I'm glad you like it so far! And I hope I don't dissapoint with where I'm taking it. Some of you gave me some good things to think about, which I appreciate. I'm not going to answer your questions just yet, however, everything will be revealed in due time.

**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to whoever owns Gilmore Girls these days. I own nothing but Chloe. Who you finally get to meet :)

* * *

A few weeks later, Rory still hadn't figured out who Chloe was. People continued to confuse the two of them. Most people realized their mistake upon looking her in the face, but others seemed to be truly unable to tell them apart. Rory was getting to be more and more curious. It had crossed her mind to ask one of the people who called her Chloe, about the other girl, but she decided against it, thinking it would be too weird.

She was making her way down the hall after class one day when she heard someone behind her call for Chloe. She turned around to correct them, when she saw another girl with brown curls hurry up beside the caller and start talking animatedly. She stood still for a moment, wondering if she was finally looking at the mysterious Chloe. She'd forgotten she was in the middle of the hallway however, and someone in a rush bumped into her, scattering her books across the floor. Rory quickly bent down and began to gather them up, not noticing that the couple she had been watching had stopped to help after one of her books bumped into the foot of the brown-haired girl. Rory stood up and turned around to search for the remainder of her belongings, only to come face-to-face with the brown-haired girl,  
who was holding out her things for her to take.

"Oh," Rory stuttered, shocked. "Uh, I, uhh, thanks," she finally managed.

"Welcome." The other girl said, a similar expression on her face.

"I feel like I just fell into the Parent Trap," Rory remarked, still staring at the other girl. Not only did they have the same hair, but their eyes were also shockingly similar, and while their features were far from identical, there was something similar there also.

"Yeah...I know what you mean," the other girl laughed awkwardly.

"Are you...are you by any chance Chloe?"

"Yes," the other girl said, seemingly surprised that Rory knew her name. "Oh!" She exclaimed a moment later. "You must be Rory!"

Rory nodded, not sure what to say. An awkward silence followed.

"I guess I can see why people keep confusing the two of you," remarked the friend Chloe had been speaking with.

Both girls jumped, having forgotten he was there.

"Yeah, I guess so. Um, I have to go, stuff to do, but, uh, maybe I'll see you around." Rory said hurriedly, rushing off to the Yale Daily News, thoroughly shaken.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"What's wrong with you?" Paris asked bluntly, seeing how out of it Rory was.

"Oh," Rory said. "I met Chloe today."

"Who?"

"Chloe?" Noticing the lack of comprehension on Paris's face, Rory continued. "The one everyone keeps confusing me with?"

"Oh, right. And?"

"And, it was..." she trailed off, unsure how to describe the experience she'd had.

"Well?" Paris prompted.

"It was...freaky," Rory finally said. "We do look a lot alike."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

Paris shrugged. "Weird stuff happens sometimes. Maybe you two are distant cousins or something."

"Maybe," Rory acquiesced. "Anyhow, I should get back to work. I need to finish this article."

"Okay," Paris said. "See you later."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A few hours later, Rory was making her way back to her dorm, when her cell phone rang. She struggled for a few minutes, balancing her stuff so she could grab the offending item.

"Hello?"

"Hey kiddo!"

"Hey Mom!" Rory said. "I have a freaky story for you."

"Freaky?"

"Trust me, it's really the most appropriate adjective."

Lorelai laughed. "I'll let you know after I hear it."

"Okay. So, randomly one day back near the beginning of the year, someone called me Chloe. Then, it happened again. And then again. And again, and again, and again. All year long. And the name Chloe is not terribly similar to the name Rory, so I figured there must be a girl out there whose name is Chloe, who has similar hair to mine or something."

"Still not feeling the freaky, here."

"That's because I'm not done yet. So then today, I'm walking out of my lit class, and I hear someone call out 'Chloe!' so I turn around, only to see a girl with brown hair rush over and start talking to this person. Then someone bumped into me, and I dropped all my stuff on the floor, and this girl and her friend started helping me pick my stuff up. And she went to hand me something, and I finally got a look at her face."

"Ooh! Ooh! Is this where the freaky comes in?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yes. It was very Parent Trap-esque, you know, when they see each other for the first time, and they're both shocked into silence, just staring there?"

"Yeah," Lorelai said, the excitement fading from her voice. Rory's reference had planted a tiny little farfetched seed of the thought into the back of her mind.

"Seriously Mom, it was so weird. If I didn't know us, I'd think we were related. Same hair, same eyes. Oh, and a few weeks ago I discovered she drinks her coffee just like us."

"Wow. Now that is weird," Lorelai agreed. The tiny little seed of thought was slowly growing into a not-quite-so-tiny little seed of thought.

"Yeah, I don't know what to think. Anyways, now that you've heard my freaky story, did you want something?"

"Huh?"

"You called me, remember?"

"Oh. So I did. Umm, I don't remember?" Lorelai said guiltily. And it was true, she could no longer why she had called.

Rory laughed. "Okay, well then I'm going to go, homework to do, call me later if you ever remember."

"Will do."

"Bye Mom, love you!"

"Bye sweets! Love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **And here it is! A bit longer than the last two, I hope you enjoy it. It'll probably be a week or so before I can get the next chapter up, but when I do Chloe's identity will finally be revealed, so you can all look forward to that :)  
**  
Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to whoever owns Gilmore Girls these days. I own nothing but Chloe.

* * *

"Hey Sook," Lorelai asked her best friend, as she walked into the kitchen of the Dragonfly a few days later. "Exactly how evil do you think my mother is?"

"Emily? Maybe somewhere in between Cruella DeVil and the Devil himself? Why?"

"Hmm," Lorelai sighed. "Well, I know this sounds...insane, but..."

"Lorelai, every other thing that comes out of your mouth sounds insane, what's going on?"

"Well, the thing is, Rory was telling me how all of the sudden this year, people keep mistaking her for someone else. Apparently a particular someone else, named Chloe. And the names Chloe and Rory are not really that similar, so she figured they must have similar hair or something."

"Makes sense." Sookie continued stirring something on the stove.

"Then, apparently, she was at the coffee cart last week, and turns out that this girl Chloe not only is a coffee addict like Rory and I, but even takes her coffee exactly the same way."

"Wow, not many people can say that."

"I know, right? Then, today, Rory actually ran into this girl, and she said it was a total Parent-Trap-esque 'hey wow you look like me' moment. She said if she didn't know better, she would assume they were related, they look that freakishly alike."

"Bizarre."

"I thought so too."

"Wait, what does this have to do with Emily being evil?"

"Like I said, I know it's insane, but. . ."

"No!" Sookie gasped. "You don't think? Even Emily couldn't possibly be that cruel. I mean, she ADORES Rory, I can't believe she would..."

"I know, that does seem too evil even for Emily. And apparently Chloe is a freshman. Still though."

"Yeah, I can't blame you for wondering."

"Coffee though. I've never, ever met anyone who drinks coffee the way Rory and I do."

"No, me neither," Sookie agreed, shooting her friend a concerned glance. "Don't do anything rash,  
Lorelai."

"What do you mean?" Lorelai asked, confused.

"I know you. You aren't going to be able to let this go. You're going to keep thinking about this girl Chloe, and the possibility, and you're just going to let the thoughts fester and fester until suddenly they erupt all over the place in this huge, festering mess!" Sookie said dramatically, waving around the ladle in her hand for emphasis.

"I promise," Lorelai said. "No festering."

"Good." Sookie calmed down. "So how's Luke?"

"Oh ya know," Lorelai began. "He's Luke. Same great, flannel-clad, backwards baseball cap wearing guy he's always been. I think I'm gonna head out for awhile though, Sook, clear my head. Make sure there's no festering."

Sookie just chuckled. "Okay, I'll see you later hun."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

After gathering some things from her purse, and informing and very displeased Michel, Lorelai headed out to her car, and began driving around. Eventually it dawned on her that Sookie was right, she would never be able to let this go. As she was contemplating how to avoid the festering, her cellphone rang,  
playing the tune that told her it was Rory calling.

"Favorite daughter of mine!" She answered cheerfully.

"Hey Mom."

"Hey kid, what's up?"

"Not much. On my way to class. I ran into Chloe again last night, you know that girl I was telling you about, who looks like me?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"She's actually really nice. Reminds me a lot of me and you. Besides the coffee thing, she eats like us too, and she definitely seems to be able to hold her own bantering."

"Wow, impressive," Lorelai said. Trying to keep her emotion in check. She knew she was reading too much into this, but she just couldn't help it.

"Yeah, I know. I was so surprised I actually asked her what her last name was, thinking we might be like, distant cousins or something. Her last name is Cullen, but she said she was adopted as a baby, so I guess it's always possible."

In a state of bewildered shock, Lorelai forgot to respond. There were way too many coincidences here. She took the next turn, leading her on the way to Hartford. She had to know. Meanwhile, Rory was trying to get her Mom's attention.

"Mom?...Mom?...Are you still there?...Mommy dearest?"

"What? Oh, sorry Ror, I just got distracted. Look I'm driving, can I call you back tonight?"

"Okay...you sure everything's okay Mom?"

"Yup. Just dandy."

"Mom?"

"Really Rory, it's fine. I'll talk to you tonight."

"Okay," Rory said with a sigh, knowing there was something her Mom wasn't telling her.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Fifteen minutes later, Lorelai was standing before her own personal hell. Staring at the big, threatening door. She took a few deep breaths, telling herself this was necessary. And reminding herself to be calm, and not accusing, until she knew for sure. She closed her eyes, and pressed the bell.

"May I help you?" The maid answered the door, not surprisingly a new maid since the last time she been to the Gilmore Mansion.

"I'm Lorelai, the daughter. Is Emily here?"

"Mrs. Gilmore is in the living room."

"Thanks." She walked in to see Emily scribbling away in a notebook. Probably planning some event or other for the DAR.

Lorelai cleared her throat. "Mom?"

"Lorelai?" Emily said, startled. "What on earth are you doing here in the middle of the day? And what is that atrocious thing you're wearing? I hope you haven't come straight from work, that's not very professional attire. And speaking of work, shouldn't you be there?"

"Mom!" Lorelai snapped, all intentions of remaining calm out the window. She fixed her mother with a steely glare. "Did you lie to me?"

"No, of course not. I would never lie, Lorelai. What in heaven's name are you talking about?"

"Twenty-one years ago, in the hospital, did you lie to me?"

Emily look taken aback, she was clearly not expecting that. Although she quickly fixed an indignant look on her face, Lorelai didn't miss the flash of guilt that passed over first.

"You did," she whispered. "You lied to me. You lied to me! How could you lie to me about something like that?"

"It's not like I had a choice Lorelai, you could never have handled the situation. And I had to maintain what dignity our family name had left after news of your pregnancy got out." Emily said, exasperated.

"What?!" Lorelai was furious. "Of course you had a choice Mom! Well, no, _you_ didn't. I had a choice! That was my choice to make, and you had no right to make it for me! Don't ever expect to see me in this house again. Or Rory, I would never want my daughter to associate with someone as cruel as you."

She turned to leave, fully meaning every word she said. She was furious, and she would never come back to this awful place.

"Now really, Lorelai, don't you think that's a bit dramatic?"

"No Mom, I don't. This isn't the kind of thing I could ever forgive you for. Good-bye."

And with that, she left, getting into her car. She drove back to Stars Hollow in a daze. Sure, she had wondered, maybe even been suspicious. But the reality of the situation was still hitting her hard. She often joked about Emily being evil, compared her to Adolf Hitler. But she still couldn't believe her own mother could be that cruel. And now, she had to figure out what to do about it all. And how to tell Rory! And Luke! And Christopher! Oh gosh, Christopher! She pulled out her cellphone, intending to call him straightaway. Then after a moment she thought better of it. She would figure this out first. She would tell Rory, and then Luke, and then Christopher.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Before she knew it, she found herself back in front of the Dragonfly. Still in a bit of a haze, she barely registerd Michel's snippy comments, simply shrugging him off and making her way to the kitchen.

"Sook?" she asked, for the second time that day.

"What's up hun?" Sookie asked, without turning around.

"I..." Lorelai started, unsure how to do this. "Rory called...and then Emily...and...lies..and...what am I gonna do?" She finally managed to whisper.

"Lorelai?" Sookie said, finally turning around. "Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked, noticing her best friend's pale complexion. "What about Rory and Emily?"

"I..."She took a deep breath, knowing she need to speak in full sentences. "Rory called, and then I confronted my Mother. And she lied, Sookie, she lied. I can't believe she's really that cold-hearted."

There was a crash, as Sookie dropped whatever she'd been holding, rushing over to give Lorelai a hug.

"Oh man, I can't believe that. That's so, so..."

Lorelai silently nodded, before finally giving into everything she was feeling, and sobbing. She slowly slid to the floor, and Sookie sat down next to her, rubbing her back comfortingly while Lorelai mumbled incoherently about everything that had happened.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Nearly an hour later, Sookie had passed off her chef duties, and Lorelai was still sobbing uncontrollably on the floor.

"Lorelai hun, this isn't good," she started. But Lorelai just continued crying.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked, her voice laced with concern. Lorelai managed to shake her head.

"Coffee?" Lorelai shook her head again, and Sookie began to get really concerned, Lorelai never turned down coffee. Eventually she decided that she had to do something, so went out to the desk, and called down to the diner.

"Luke's," a gruff voice answered.

"Hey Luke, it's Sookie," she began hesitantly. "If you have some free time, I was wondering if you could come to the inn?"

"It's the middle of the lunch rush, Sookie."

"I know," she sighed. "But Luke, it's Lorelai. She's really upset. She turned down coffee..." She trailed off, hoping he would understand.

"I'll be right there," he said, abruptly hanging up.

Ten minutes later, Luke breezed into the inn, a to-go cup of coffee in hand. "Where is she?" he barked at Michel.

"Where is who?" Michel asked innocently.

"Dammit Michel, where the hell is Lorelai?" Luke asked, quickly becoming irritated and impatient.

"Luke!" Sookie called, having spotted him. "She's back here."

Luke hurried back toward the kitchen, shocked at what he saw. Lorelai was sitting, crumpled against the island, sobs wracking her body.

"Lorelai?" He said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Lorelai, it's me. I brought you some coffee."

When she didn't seem to be responding, he tried again. "Lorelai, please? Drink the coffee? Come on, never again will you hear me beg you to drink this stuff, you should take advantage of it while you can."

"At that, Lorelai reached out and grabbed the cup, downed it in two sips, and tossed the empty cup aside."

Luke stood with a sigh, and turned to Sookie. "So what happened anyway?"

"I, umm, well..." Sookie stuttered.

"Sookie..." Luke said, a hint of threatening in his voice.

"I can't Luke. This has to come from Lorelai. It's big, and it's bad, but she has to be the one to tell you. Maybe you could take her home?"

Luke nodded. "Lorelai?" he asked, bending down again. Think you can walk?" At Lorelai's continued sobs, he knelt down and scooped her up. She immediately buried her face into his chest.

"Shhh," he murmured. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. I'm here for you, whatever's going on."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Lorelai sat on the couch, staring at the phone in her hand. She had sent Luke away a little while ago, promising to explain everything later, but insisting that Rory needed to be the first to know. After awhile Luke reluctantly agreed, but made her promise to call him any time of day if she needed anything or if she changed her mind.

She stared at the phone some more, knowing she should just get it over with. She wasn't sure what she was so nervous about to begin with, it's not like she had to actually tell Rory yet. This was definitely not over-the-phone news. She just needed to convince Rory to come home for the weekend tomorrow. And tell her not to go to dinner. She sighed, finally giving in and pressing the numbers.

"Hey Mom," her daughter's voice greeted her.

"Hey sweets. I've got some excellent news, and some...hopefully not terrible news."

"Sounds intriguing."

"Oh yeah," Lorelai sighed.

"So let's hear it. Start with the questionable news," Rory instructed.

"Okay. I need you to come home this weekend?" Lorelai raised her voice at the end, making it more of a question than a statement.

"Oh Mom, I don't know. I had plans with Logan..."

"I know sweets. But this is kinda important. Promise you'll at least think about it?"

"Sure, I'll think about it. Now what's the excellent news?"

"Oh, right!" Lorelai instantly brightened. "We never have to go to Friday Night Dinner ever again! In fact, we WILL never go to Friday Night Dinner again."

"What? But...why? And they're not that bad, I kind of like them."

"I know, but Rory, I have to ask you not to go anymore. In fact, I'd prefer it if you never even spoke to them ever again, but I know I can't control you that way."

"Mom what happened? Did you and Grandma fight? Where's all this coming from? And what about Yale?"

"I'll answer all your questions...when you come home tomorrow!"

"Mom!" Rory pleaded.

"Nope. Home tomorrow, or no answers for you."

"Mean."

"I try."

"I'll talk to Logan. I should probably be able to make it STars Hollow by about six, if theres no Friday Night Dinner."

"Which there isn't! So six it is!"

Rory laughed. "Okay Mom, I'll see you then."

"Bye sweets."

"Bye Mom."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **This is way overdue, I apologize profusely! I'll be done with school for the summer in a few weeks, and should be able to update much more often then.

To whomever asked about Chloe's name--it was not supposed to be a reference to anything, and if I did that unintentionally I apologize. I was stuck coming up with a last name for her, and ended up using Cullen because it's my grandmother's maiden name.

And rest assured, there is another Emily/Lorelai confrontation in the future. Emily does, after all, still have an important piece of the puzzle.

**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to whoever owns Gilmore Girls these days. I own nothing but Chloe.

* * *

Rory pulled her car up outisde of the diner, figuring that it was the most likely place to find her mother on a friday afternoon.

"Hey Luke," she greeted as the bell chimed, signaling her entrance.

"Hey Rory. Coffee?"

"Do you have to ask?" Rory glanced around, taking in the other customers. "My mom's not here?"

Luke shook his head as he pushed the cup of coffee acrosst the counter. "No, she hasn't been in much since the breakdown."

"Breakdown?" Rory questioned, the concern obvious in her voice and expression.

Luke looked up, surprised. "She didn't say anything to you?"

Rory shook her head, causing Luke to fidget uncomfortably.

"Oh, well, I mean...I, uh...I'm sure she had a reason..."

"It's fine, Luke."

The diner owner visibly relaxed. "That was Tuesday," he shared.

"Okay. Give me a couple of burgers to go?"

"Sure thing."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Half an hour later, Rory was walking through the front door in search of Lorelai.

"Mom? Are you here?"

"Hey kid!" she heard from the living room.

"Hey," Rory replied, walking up to where her mom was on the couch. "I brought Luke's."

"Goody!" Lorelai said, though it was clear to Rory that she was forcing the enthusiasm.

After they had both finished their food silence fell over the pair, a rare occurence for the Gilmore girls. Rory could tell her mom was stressed about something, but it didn't look like Lorelai was going to open up anytime soon, so Rory figured it was her job to break the silence.

"So, Mom, what's this I heard about a breakdown?"

"What?" Lorelai's head snapped up. "Who told you?"

"Luke did, Mom. He thought I already knew."

"Oh."

"Why didn't you tell me? Does this have something to do with why we're not at Grandma's right now?"

Lorelai nodded. "It's all connected babe. And I wanted to tell you in person. This is definitely an in-person kind of thing."

"Okay," Rory said, a little unsure. "So..."

Lorelai took a deep breath, and looked into her daughter's eyes. "You might hate me after I tell you this. And if you do, I'm sorry. But you should know that I thought I was doing what was best for all of us."

"Mom! I love you, and you're my best friend. There's nothing you could say that would make me hate you."

"It's more what I didn't say." With that, Lorelai reached over, and picked up a box Rory hadn't seen before.

"What's that?"

"So, you know how every year on your birthday we went crazy? Like over-the-top, don't waste time breathing, crazy?"

"Of course," Rory grinned."Our parties are legend."

At this, Lorelai cracked a grin of her own. "That they are, kiddo. But the truth is, there's a little more behind it than just excitement over your lovely existence."

Rory just looked at her mom questioningly, she had no idea where this was going. But her Lorelai seemed to have a point, so for the moment she just sat back and listened.

"It was also to keep myself from falling apart. I figured, if I kept really busy the whole day, I wouldn't have time to think about anything else." She reached into the box, and pulled something out. "See, your birthday is kind of bittersweet for me. Happy, because I got one beautiful, wonderful little girl who has grown into an incredible young woman. But also tragic, because while I got one daughter, I also lost another." She reached over, placing the item from the box in Rory's hand.

Rory just stared, trying to process and figure out what her mom was telling her. "What's this?"

"Your first picture. You and your sister's."

"What?" Rory's eyes widened, as she looked down again, and realized she was holding a sonogram. "Sister? But...what...? I don't understand."

"This little white blob," Lorelai pointed, "is you. And that one," she pointed again, "is your twin sister."

Rory was once again frozen with disbelief. After a few moments, she was finally able to squeak out the question at the forefront of her mind. "What happened to her?"

Lorelai took another deep breath, and wrung her hands, before she began explaining to Rory the day she was born.

"I was lying there in the delivery room, tired and sweaty and all alone, because Christopher hadn't bothered to show up and I certainly didn't want Emily there. Finally, after hours and hours and more pain than you could imagine, tiny little baby screams filled the room. After the doctor proclaimed "It's a girl!" I immediately asked if she was healthy. The doctors had been a little worried, because there tends to be more complications with twins, and I was, afterall, only sixteen. He told me the nurses were going to take her straightaway, and examine her to find out. In the meantime, I still had work to do, as you had yet to come out. A few more minutes and a lot more pain, and the second round of baby cries and "It's a girl's" filled the room. I was tired and cranky by this point however, and demanded to be allowed to hold my second daughter before they stole her away.

They complied since you seemeed healthy, and put you in my arms. And I looked down at you, and I instantly fell in love. You were so beautiful, and so innocent. That's when Mom came back in, and I was so happy I was even nice to her.

_"Look! Look at my baby!" I said, smiling like a fool._

_"Does she have a name yet?"_

_"Hmm, I'm not sure. I'm trying to decide on two names that go together, but don't sound too cheesy. No rhyming names or anything."_

_"Well, she's the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen," my mother said._

_"Well, I haven't really seen her sister yet, but I imagine they're tied for first. Speaking of which, where is my other little girl?"_

_At this, my mother made a weird sort of face. Confused, I looked up at the doctor._

_"where's my baby? Is she okay? Did something happen?"_

_"Well, unfortunately, there were some...uh...complications--" he seemed to be having trouble speaking and Emily cut him off, and took my hand._

_"No need to drag it out, doctor. It will be painful enough as it is."_

_"What are you talking about?" Panick had begun to set in._

_"Lorelai, your daughter didn't make it. I'm sorry." I stared at her, not believing the words._

_"She...she didn't...? But I heard her crying! I heard her! And I never even got to hold her..."_

_"I know Lorelai. It's truly tragic. But look on the bright side, at least you still have one daughter."_

After she told me, I held you closer to me, kissing the top of your head while I cried. Mom stayed for a few more minutes, before something came up and she had to leave. I wanted to see her, your sister, but they wouldn't let me. Said it would be too painful and stressful, that it wouldn't be healthy for me or for you. I was so worried about you. But, hey, you turned out fine, I think. Anyways, in all of my grief and confusion, I couldn't figure out what to name you. All the names I had come up with were pairs, and I didn't want to use them anymore. So I ended up just naming you after myself. And after a week or so, I just focused everything I had on you, and tried not to let myself think about your sister.

Lorelai grew quiet again, lost in thought. And as Rory began to process everything that Lorelai had told her, she had all kinds of emotions running through her.

"Why?" she choked out.

"Why what, sweets?"

"Why did my sister die? How did my sister die? Why didn't you ever TELL me I had a twin? Why, after all these years, are you telling me now?" She was silent for a moment before adding "And what does any of this have to do with Friday Night Dinner?"

"Well," Lorelai began cautiously. "This is where things get ugly. And, sort of happy, also."

"Looking for a little more detail, here."

"You're grandmother lied to me. My own mother, lied to me. Lied to me, about something that a mother should never, ever, lie about." Rory looked at her mother, and it was as though she could see the hurt and anger coursing through Lorelai. For a woman who prided herself on being strong and independent, she looked remarkably like a broken little girl.

"Mom...?"

"When you called and told me about this girl Chloe, I thought about your sister for the first time in a long while. I wondered if that's what she would look like, if she had lived. And the more you told me about Chloe, the more I started to think that she sounded exactly like what your sister would be like. I had always felt like there was something funny at the hospital that day. Like, the doctors were never really able to give me a concrete answer for why she died, and it seemed ridiculous that they wouldn't let me see her. So my brain went into overdrive. And then you were talking about Chloe again, and you mentioned that she had been adopted. And then I really started wondering."

Rory thought she could see where this was going, but couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it.

"So I drove to Hartford, and had a nice little chat with my mother. And I found out, that my mother lied to me, that day in the hospital. She lied to me. My first-born didn't die."

"Wait, you mean..."

"I think Chloe might actually be your twin sister. I'm not sure, of course. But she seems to fit the mold perfetly."

"So...okay. I, uh. Huh. So what did Grandma do, exactly?"

"I don't know exactly. But I know she did something. She didn't think I could handle the pressure of raising twins on my own, and she had to save the dignity of the Gilmore name. Or something to that effect."

"Wow. Are you sure?"

"Unfortunatly, I'm positive sweets."

"So...what happens now?"

"I don't know."

The two gilmore girls sat in silence, Lorelai lost in thought, and Rory staring at the picture of her and her sister. Her twin sister. The concept still hadn't quite sunk in.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked her mother, her tone a little bit more harsh than the first time she had posed the question.

"I thought it was best for you, Rory."

"You thought lying to me, was best for me?"

"I wasn't lying to you, Rory, I--"

"Yes you were! You lied to me. Just like Grandma lied to you, you lied to me!" Rory abruptly stood up, and stormed into her bedroom, locking the door and turning on some music to drown out the sounds of her mother. She would have loved to have gone back to Yale, back to Logan, but she was still reeling from everything that had happened and she knew she was in no condition to drive. She flopped onto the bed, and curled up with her pillow. She was completley overwhelmed by it all, and tears that had threatened to fall all evening finally came out.

Meanwhile Lorelai, still on the couch, had pulled her feet up, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked at the coffee table, and seeing the sonogram picture that Rory had left there, began to let her own tears fall.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Once again I apologize profusely, since it's been over a month. I was having trouble deciding in what order I wanted things to happen, and then I got caught up with finals, and then my laptop decided to commit suicide, and then I had to order a new one, and then wait for said new one to arrive. In any case, I am now done with school for the summer, and doing nothing but working a very tedious minimum wage job, so I've got nothing better to do with my time than think up things to write.

Originally this chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, I actually have a bunch more written out, but it hasn't been edited, and I figured at this point it was better to just update with what I had. So, sometime in the very near future (by the end of the week, I promise, probably sooner) another, short, update with the second half of this chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews! Yes, Rory overreacted. But she was overwhelmed by everything, and it seems to me that when Rory gets overwhelmed, she either yells or runs away, and in this case she kind of did both. And no worries, the Lorelai/Rory bit will all be resolved shortly. As for Richard, I haven't decided yet if he was in on it, I keep changing my mind.

**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to whoever owns Gilmore Girls these days. I own nothing but Chloe.

* * *

The next morning, both girls woke up exhausted and puffy-eyed from all the tears. Rory lay in her bed, still trying to process everything that had happened. She glanced at the clock beside her bed, wonderining if it was still too early to call Logan.

9:00.

On a Saturday morning? Probably.

Out in the living room, Lorelai awoke to back pains and a crick in her neck from spending the night on the couch. She was disconcerted for a moment, trying to figure out why she had slept on the couch. She caught sight of the picture on the table, and it all came back. Telling Rory about her sister. Questions, crying, yelling. Rory compared her to Emily. Lorelai shuddered at the thought, before before standing and going into the kitchen to start the coffee. She heard rustling from behind Rory's door that she knew meant her daughter was awake. She quietly walked over to the door.

"Rory?" She called softly, knocking.

There was no response, but she had a sneaking suspicion that her daughter was listening, so she continued anyways.

"Rory, sweetie, I know you're hurt, and I'm sorry. But I really did think that I was doing what was best for you. I spent the last month or so of my pregancy reading up on twins, and there are all kinds of studies and things about how when one twin dies, the other has lots of emotional and psychological problems. And I thought, maybe, if you didn't know you had a twin, those things wouldn't affect you so much. And you were just a little girl, Rory. Hell, I was just a little girl, and I could barely handle it. I saw no reason to cause you so much grief if I didn't have to. I'm not sure you would have understood anyways. Well, obviously you wouldn't have understood when it happened, because don't understand anything, but you know what I mean. If I had talked to you about her all the time, I'm not sure you'd have really understood, and it just would have been painful for the both of us. This way, I got to shoulder all the bad stuff. But it's not like I never would have told you. When you got married, or got pregant, I'd have told you, there just never seemed to be a good time. It's not an easy conversation to start, kid."

She paused, and was greeted with more silence. With a sigh, she leaned her forehead against Rory's door.

"I'm sorry. I hope you understand why I did what I did. I love you, Rory. I'm going to Luke's for breakfast, I'll be back in awhile. Maybe then we can talk."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Rory continued to lay on her bed, contemplating her mother's long speech. She did understand where Lorelai was coming from, but that didn't really make it any easier. It still hurt to know that her mother had kept something so big from her. They were supposed to be best friends, they were supposed to tell each other everything. She rolled over and glanced at the clock again.

9:49.

Still early, but hopefully Logan would understand. She reached over for her cellphone and dialed the appropriate numbers.

"'Lo?" Logan's groggy voice came over the phone, eventually.

"Sorry if I woke you."

"Rory? Nah, it's fine."

"Oh. Good."

"What's up, Ace? I thought you were going home for the weekend?"

"I was, I did. I am."

Logan chuckled. "Then why on earth are you awake at 10 in the morning on a Saturday?"

Rory sighed, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt while she talked. "Mom & I had a fight."

At this, Logan instantly sobered. "Aww, I'm sorry Ace. What happened?"

"She, ah...told me some stuff. Stuff she's been keeping from me for twenty years."

"What kind of stuff?"

And for the next hour, Rory proceeded to tell Logan everything, about the sister she never knew she had, her mother's suspicions about Chloe, and the speech that morning.

"Wow, Ace."

"I know! I can't believe she never told me!"

Logan was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say without upsetting his girlfriend even more.

"Me neither. But it's not like she was trying to hurt you. She thought she was doing the right thing?"

"So!" Rory snapped. "She should have known better!"

"Maybe, but remember, Ace, that your Mom was only sixteen when she was going through all this."

"I know," Rory said with a sigh. "But it still hurts, I just..."

"I know," Logan said soothingly, "and you have every right to be upset."

"I sense a but coming."

"But," Logan said with a small chuckle, "don't you think that maybe right now, Lorelai needs her supportive best friend more than her angry daughter?"

"I don't care! As my best friend, she should've told me!"

"Yes, but she just found out her mother lied to her--"

Rory cut him off angrily "Yes! Just like I found out SHE lied to ME!"

"Ace," he said, his tone snapping her back to reality,"she just found out that her _mother_ lied to her about her _kid _being _dead_," he paused, before trailing off. "It's not quite the same thing..."

Rory was quiet for a few moments as the impact of what Logan had said sunk in.

"Oh god," she groaned. "I was so caught up in not knowing I had a twin I forgot about Grandma lying."

"And that's alright," Logan reassured his girlfriend, hearing her voice start to rise toward hysterics again. "Well, it's understandable. You had a lot to take in. Just...maybe now it's time to put aside your feelings and be there for your mom?"

"Yeah, probably. God, she must be a mess. Thanks, Logan."

"Anytime, Ace."

XXXXXXXXXXX

_At the same time, in the diner_

Lorelai walked into the diner, the bell chiming above her head.

"Lorelai?" Luke's surprised voice came from the counter. "What are you doing hear so early on a Saturday morning?"

Lorelai just offered him a weak smile and a shrug, plopping down on a stool.

"Do you want some coffee?"

Lorelai nodded. Luke went over to fill up a cup, feeling relieved inside. He had been extremely concerned on Tuesday, when Lorelai didn't want coffee. At least whatever was going on now, she was still herself somewhere in there.

Lorelai took a big gulp of the steaming liquid before looking up at look and trying to speak.

"I...do you think...I mean...maybe...could you..." She took a couple of deep breaths before finally managing to get out a complete sentence.

"Could we maybe go upstairs and talk?"

Luke looked at her for a moment, the relief he had felt moments ago slowly fading. Finally he nodded his head, yelled back to Caesar, and started up the stairs. Lorelai trailed behind, reluctantly. She wasn't ready to have this conversation again, already. But, she needed Luke's support, and for that she needed to tell him the truth about everything.

When they were settled on the couch in Luke's apartment, he reached over and took her hand.

"Is this about Tuesday?" He asked hesitantly, when she showed no signs of speaking.

"Sort of," Lorelai began with a sigh. "That and some other stuff. I told Rory, so now I can tell you. But this is...really hard, so I'm just gonna get it out."

Luke nodded.

"Rory's a twin." Lorelai was focused on the floor, so she missed the look of shock on Luke's face.

"Not many people knew. Mom didn't think I could handle it, and she was still hoping I'd agree to give one of them up for adoption. To make a long story short, Rory was born second. They took the first one away right after she was born, and a while later my mom came in and told me that she hadn't made it. They wouldn't even let me see her, because they said it would be too painful."

"I...I don't know what to say to that Lorelai. I'm sorry that you had to go through that, that must have been hard."

Lorelai managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Luke. But there's more."

Luke just raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

"Tuesday. Tuesday I went to my parents house, and I found out..." Lorelai tried desperately to choke back the tears. "I found out she lied to me."

Luke looked at her, unsure of exactly what she was trying to say.

"My baby didn't die, Luke," Lorelai said as the tears finally escaped. "My baby was fine. Emily just...well, I'm not sure exactly what she did. Paid someone to run off with her, I expect."

"I can't believe she would do that. No wonder you're so upset." Luke was angry at the thought of this woman lying to her daughter about the death of her child. What a terrible thing to do!

"There's more," Lorelai sighed.

"More?"

"I only figured all this out because Rory started telling me about this girl at Yale, who looked exactly like her. Of course, Rory didn't know she was a twin, so she just thought it was a freaky coincidence. But it got me thinking. I always felt like something was off the day they were born, and there just seemed to be too many coincidences. So, more than likely, this girl at Yale is my long-lost daughter."

"Well," Luke started slowly, "in a way that's a good thing, right? I mean, if she is your daughter, at least you won't have to go through a bunch of crap trying to find her. If that's what you want to do."

"I guess." Lorelai looked at the floor. "There's still a little more."

"More?" Luke asked incredulously.

Lorelai nodded. "Last night, I told Rory everything. And she got so upset, and she yelled at me, and she called me a liar, and she compared me to Emily. Now she hates me, Luke. She hates me." At this, Lorelai finally broke down , all the tears came pouring out. Unsure of what to do, Luke just sat there, holding her as sobs wracked her body, occasionally whispering soothing things in her ear.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** This is very very short, even shorter than I thought...but as I said before, it was originally supposed to be part of the previous chapter. I make no promises this time, but I'll do my best to have the next chapter up sometime this week.

As always, thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you all seemed to like Logan, I was a little afraid that he would be too out of character.

**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to whoever owns Gilmore Girls these days. I own nothing but Chloe.

* * *

Lorelai walked slowly through town, back to her house, dreading the silence she knew awaited her there. She wished there were some way to mend things between her and Rory, but she couldn't think of anything.

She rubbed her eyes one more time, trying to get rid of the tears, before pushing the front door open. She barely had time to put down her jacket and keys before she was bombarded by her twenty-one year old daughter, who wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

Surprised, Lorelai hugged back. She was unsure what had caused such a drastic change of heart, but was thankful nevertheless.

Eventually Rory let go and looked at her mom--

"I'm still hurt and upset that you didn't tell me, but that can wait. Right now I think you need me, and I'm going to try and put my feelings aside and be there so we can get through this together."

With that, Rory smiled and turned around, walking towards the living room.

"Oh!" She said abruptly, spinning back around to face her mother. "I'm sorry I compared you to Emily. What you did was not-so-good, but it was no where near as awful as what grandma did."

Lorelai chuckled and smiled, her first real smile in days. "Good to know."

Rory smiled back and the two walked into the living room and settled on the couch. After a few moments of contented silence, Lorelai looked at her daughter.

"Can I ask what brought on the change of heart?"

Rory looked back at her Mom, she'd been expecting this question. "Logan."

"Seriously?" Lorelai had never been a huge fan of Rory's relationship with Logan, but she may need to rethink that.

Rory shrugged. "He said that right now, you needed your supportive best friend more than your angry daughter."

"He was right," Lorelai said, surprised. She was impressed with this kid's ability to convince her very stubborn daughter to change her mind.

Rory looked at the floor, before glancing back at her mother. "I'm sorry I overreacted."

"No need to apologize, kid. You had, have, every right to be upset."

Rory gave another smile and flicked on the TV. There were still a lot of things that needed to be discussed and dealt with, but for the moment both girls needed a break from all the emotional turmoil.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry? It would have been up a little earlier, but I got sick. It has a bit more action than the past couple chapters, so hopefully that makes up for the delay. Two weeks from today I'll be going on a month long wilderness camping trip, so I'll be completly cut off from technology, and then I start my senior year of college a week after that. So, I promise (promise promise promise) to have a nice lengthy chapter up before then (I've already got it planned this time) and will do my absolute best to update shortly after I return. Oh, and if you can't tell, Rory's relationship with her father is a little rockier than it is on the show ( I mention this because it will be important later).

As always, thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to whoever owns Gilmore Girls these days. I own nothing but Chloe. (Who should be making another appearance in the very near future)

* * *

"So," Rory asked hesitantly, "what happens now?"

"Well, I guess we call Christopher, and ask him to come down here tomorrow so we can tell him."

Rory nodded. "How much does he know?"

"Pretty much everything, except for Mom lying. He knew we were having twins, of course. He wasn't there when you were born--too busy taking a biology test, I believe--but when he showed up the next day and found two girls instead of three, I told him what happened. He felt guilty for not being there. He proposed again, I declined again, he left. We haven't talked about it much since then."

"Wow."

"Yep." And with that Lorelai walked into the kitchen to call Christopher, leaving Rory to muse over her absentee father. She laughed bitterly to herself at the knowledge that his habit of disappearing when he was needed most had started the day she was born. What a father.

"So what's next weekend look like for ya?" Lorelai called as she walked back into the living room.

"Huh?" Came Rory's confused reply as she was pulled back to the present by her mother's voice.

"Your Dad can't make it tomorrow, Gigi's got a big dance recital. But he promised to come next weekend."

"Ah. I'm not sure, I'll let you know. But you can tell him by yourself if I don't make it."

"True."

"Do you think there's anyone else we need to tell?"

"Umm, let's see. I told Luke. You told Logan. Sookie already knows, she caught me crying in the closet on your birthday one year. Obviously the grandparents already know..."

"Wait," Rory interrupted her mother's list. "Was this an Emily-thing, or a Grandma AND Grandpa-thing?"

Lorelai paused and thought for a second. "You know kid, I'm actually not sure. I just assumed he was in on it too, because I'm not sure she could have pulled it off without him finding out--but I guess it's possible. Either way, I'd stake my life on the fact that she was the one who came up with the plan. It reeks of Emily."

Rory looked up at her mother with a sympathetic expression. "You know you're going to have to talk to them again, right? I mean, they have all the answers..."

"I know kiddo," Lorelai sighed. "But I'm _so_ not looking forward to it."

"Maybe you could do it over the phone?" Rory suggested half-heartedly.

Lorelai shook her head sadly. "Nah, it'd be too easy for either of us to hang up on the other."

"Well, you could wait until next weekend when Dad's here, he could at least give you some moral support."

At this Lorelai snorted. "Doubtful. Even if he does actually show up, he's never had much of a backbone when it comes to the elders."

"Oh. Well, I guess you'll just have to suck it up then."

"I guess so."

"If you do it tomorrow," Rory started thoughtfully, though a little hesitant, "I'll be here for moral support."

Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "Thanks sweets, but I'm not sure I'm ready to face them just yet."

"Okay," she paused. "But maybe it's like a band-aid. The faster you do it, the less overall pain. Just get through all this yucky confrontation stuff, and you can move on to the happy stuff--being reunited with your long lost daughter!"

Lorelai smiled again. "You're probably right. Doesn't make me want to do this any more though."

"You want me to call them?"

"No, much as I don't want to, I need to do this."

"Okay."

"Tomorrow, huh?"

Rory grinned a little at her victory. "Yeah, tomorrow."

"Super. I'm going to forget about it until then."

"Sounds good," Rory chuckled.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Welcome to hell," Lorelai said with a sigh as she pulled up outside the Gilmore mansion in Hartford the next day.

"You sure you want to do this with me?" She had spent the better part of the morning trying to convince Rory that she could do this alone, but the younger girl would have none of it.

"Yes," Rory said confidently. "Afterall, it's my twin sister they gave away, and we both know you're going to need some support."

"Okay," Lorelai said resignedly. "Let's get this over then."

The two girls climbed out of the jeep and walked up the door, for once not playing games and just ringing the bell. After much discussion, they had concluded that it would be best to simply surprise Richard and Emily at home, therefore not giving them a chance to concoct any more lies.

"Good afternoon," a maid greeted them. "How may I help you?"

"Are Richard and Emily home?" Lorelai asked politely.

"Yes," the maid replied. "Mr. Gilmore is in his study, and Mrs. Gilmore is in the sitting room."

"Wonderful. Please inform them that Lorelai and Rory are here to speak with them."

The maid nodded in compliance, took their coats, and scurried off to find the elder Gilmores. The girls paused in the foyer, each taking a deep breath. They shared a look, and Rory squeezed her mother's hand reassuringly, before they headed to the sitting room.

"Hello Lorelai, Rory," Richard greeted, a confused expression on his face. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Hi Dad."

"Hello, Grandpa."

"I must say, Lorelai, I'm surprised to see you here," Emily said bitterly. "I seem to remember you telling me a few days ago that neither of you would set foot here ever again."

"Believe me, mother, it was not something I wanted to do. However, we had some questions and unfortunatly you're the only one who can answer them."

Emily's eyes narrowed, and Richard's expression became even more confused. "What kind of questions?"

"Where to start, where to start," Lorelai said sarcastically. "How about you tell me what really happened to her?"

"To who?" Richard asked, clearly still very confused.

"To my daughter."

"Rory? What do you mean? What's happened to Rory?" Richard exclaimed, looking at his granddaughter more carefully.

"Nothing, Grandpa, I'm fine," Rory reassured him. "Mom's asking about her other daughter." She paused before continuing. "My sister. My twin sister," she said pointedly, directing the last bit at Emily.

Richard's face registered nothing but shock, and he seemed unable to move for a few moments.

"I wasn't aware you knew of her," he finally whispered.

"I wasn't, until the day before yesterday," Rory replied a little bitterly. "And I can't say I'm happy about that, but there's not much I can do at this point. It's very surreal, finding out you've had a sister your whole life that you never knew about."

"Well, yes," Richard said slowly, as he tried to arrange his words delicately. "But, it's not really as though you've been missing out, since..." he trailed off, unsure of how to finish his thought.

"Yes, really," Emily interjected. "I don't see why you feel the need to drag up all this now anyhow."

"Indeed. I thought we had put all this behind us long ago," Richard agreed. "It was tragic of course, a very difficult time for all of us. But that was two decades ago, and I can't see what good it does to bring it up again."

Lorelai laughed, a little maniacally, before turning on her mother. "He doesn't know, does he? I can't believe this. You kept it from him too. How on earth you managed all this is beyond me."

"Doesn't know what?" Richard asked irritably, seemingly fed up with being confused.

The tension which filled the room was palpable. Rory fidgeted nervously, not quite comfortable knowing what she was about to witness, Lorelai was waiting anxiously to get the answers to her questions, Richard was irritated, and Emily had begun to look panicked and a little desperate.

When no one said anything, Richard turned to his wife hesitantly. "What have you kept from me, Emily?"

Emily paled. "I...I..."

"Spit it out, Emily," Lorelai snipped.

Emily however, just continued to stutter. Lorelai watched, getting some amount of satisfaction at seeing her mother so uncomfortable.

Sensing that Lorelai was not going to jump in and save Emily the trouble, Rory decided it was her turn to speak again. "It seems that Grandma lied to Mom, and to you, I guess, about what happened to my sister," Rory told her grandfather. "I'm not sure exactly what happened, but apparently she was perfectly healthy."

"Perfectly healthy? That's preposterous, a perfectly healthy baby doesn't just up and die!" Richard said forcefully.

"She didn't," Lorelai said softly, rejoining the conversation. "She didn't die."

The frustration faded from Richard's face as confusion once again took over. "Then...what happened?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Lorelai daid, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"I did what I thought needed to be done," Emily whispered, hands tightly clasped and staring at the floor. "Lorelai was only sixteen, and she could barely take care of herself, there's no way she would have been able to handle twins.  
I spent months trying to convince her to give them up for adoption, or to at least give up one, but she stubbornly refused. I just kept thinking about how our family had already become a laughingstock with her pregnancy, and how much worse it would be if she couldn't handle motherhood. I needed to do something to protect us. I thought if I couldn't convince her to give them both up, maybe I could force her to give up one. Surely with some help from us, and a nanny,  
she could manage one child. She refused to go along with any of my suggestions, and I decided to go behind her back. I called an adoption agency, and set everything up. The day the twins were born, I paid one of her doctors to bring me the baby immediately after birth. It was set up on the other side of the nursery with an alias for a day or two, before being picked up by the agency and delivered to it's adoptive parents, a young couple in California who had been unable to conceive. I made sure they were a good family, and I set up a special trust fund for her, so I knew she would have a good life. And it all worked out perfectly, until Lorelai ran away with Rory, besmirching us forever in the eyes of society."

Richard's face change once more, confusion replaced by hurt, as he stared unbelievingly at his wife. The three Gilmore women were silent, as everyone processed what Emily had said.

Eventually, Richard blinked and broke the silence, the hurt expression still frozen on his face. "You lied to me?"

**

* * *

A/N: **Originally, I was going to have Emily be more angry and defensive, like she was in the earlier chapter, but when I started writing, this is what came out. Let me know what you think?


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